merrion street

SafeTALK programme rolled out to an additional 6 education centres around the country

Minister also announces training on responding to critical incidents to be delivered to all post primary schools in the country over the next 2 years

The Minister for Education and Skills, Richard Bruton T.D., today (9th of July 2018) announced that over the next two years, teachers in every post-primary school in the country will receive training on how to respond when a critical incident occurs in their school community. The Minister also announced a significant expansion of the SafeTALK programme to a further 6 Education Centres around the country.

This announcement is part of the Minister’s broader focus on supporting student wellbeing in all schools as part of his ambition to make Ireland’s Education System the best in Europe by 2026.

A critical incident is defined as an incident or series of events that overwhelms the normal coping mechanism of the school, for example, a suicide or a road traffic accident involving a member of the school community. Training on responding to critical incidents will be delivered by the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) and teachers in all post primary schools in the country will have the opportunity to take part in the training over the next two years.

The SafeTALK programme is an internationally recognised training programme that stresses safety while challenging taboos that inhibit open talk about suicide. A model of the programme specifically targeted at teachers and other school personnel was developed by the Department and the National Office of Suicide Prevention. This training commenced in the 2017/18 school year in 6 Education Centres. Today the Minister announced that the course will be available in a further 6 Education Centres from the start of the new school year. Schools in the area of each Education Centre will be invited to send two relevant members of staff to participate in the SafeTALK training.

Making the announcement today, Minister Bruton said,

“I am keen to put as many safeguards as possible in place in our schools, to ensure we help our most vulnerable students. Unfortunately, while we put a big emphasis on preventative measures in our schools – such as the work we are doing on our Junior Cycle Wellbeing programme, it is sometimes necessary for a school to respond to a critical incident.

“Coping with the aftermath of critical incidents has become a challenging but necessary task for a number of schools in recent years. The training that we are announcing today, will ensure all schools are prepared to respond to such an incident.

“SafeTALK is an internationally recognised programme that can help teachers address the topic of suicide in a safe way. This is such an important conversation to have and I’m glad to be significantly expanding the availability of this training.

“Finally, I’d just like to extend my utmost sympathies and indeed admiration to all the schools and families who have shown wonderful strength, compassion and resilience at times of tragedy. I acknowledge the invaluable experience, competence and skills that teachers already have in dealing with children and young people in times of distress.”